Greetings unto Mistress Elena de Vexin, Dragon;THL Paul Wickenden of Thanet, Rouge Scarpe; and the commenting members of the Midrealm College of Heralds; from Lady Angharad Rhos Tewdwr of Pembroke, Escutcheon.

Here are the May 2002 submissions for your consideration and commentary, all submissions will allow major and minor changes unless otherwise noted. All commentary should be sent to the Rouge Scarpe Herald, THL Paul Wickenden of Thanet, early enough to arrive by August 1, 2002, with copies to Dragon, and myself. Special thanks to Khahlil al-Hazrad for manning the scanner while I typed.

Note on the web version of the ILoI. Due to differences in monitor settings and browsers, all colors are approximate and may not reflect the drawing's actual colors. Also if you find a broken link, I would appreciate an e-mail informing me of it. I do my best to ensure all the links work properly, but sometimes I type faster than I think.

1) Cydrych Clutorix (M) New Name and Device . Per chevron azure and argent, three talbots statant two and one counterchanged.

Given name is found in “Viking Names found in the Landnámabók”
by Aryanhwy merch Catmael (Sara L. Friedemann). The byname is constructed from surtr “black” found in “Viking Bynames Found in the Landnámabók” by Aryanhwy merch Catmael and a feminine name Þórn from the first reference. The client intends this to mean “blackthorne”, but provides nothing other than the names lists. Client wishes his name to be Norse.

[Esct. Comment: The spelling of the name is an exactly as the client submitted it. The client did not provide a blazon for the field of his badge. And I confess this poses a bit of a conundrum for me as to how to blazon it accurately. The field most resembles a gyronny of 22 except that the intersections are not centered in the field but debased. Can a gyronny be debased? The only other way to describe it was piley (multiple piles) but even that is not satisfactory because the “pile” and the “field” are of equal relative dimensions, therefore the assignment of the field as Or and the piles as purpure was arbitrary on my part; it could as easily be purpure with Or piles. I could not find this particular field variant in either Von Volborth , Foster, or the Pic-Dic. As I have blazoned it above though, (the most accurate in my opinion--with my scribe hat on I could replicate it from the blazon) it makes it not a partitioned field but one with a large number of charges, which isn’t quite right either as the mini has a different number of divisions indicating to me that the client intended a partitioned field treatment. I look forward to reading the commentary on this badge. Obviously this runs afoul of Armorial Identifiability and Simplicity.]

7) Hroar Njalsson.(M) Name and Device resubmission. Or a baluster reversed vert, a bordure gules.

Original submission returned by Rouge Scarpe on the February 2002 letter for lack of documentation and conflict. Original name submitted was Hroar Stormgengr. This submission (and the related submissions in this letter for House Njalsson and Nonna the Midwife) is accompanied by a small mountain of paper (including 22 figures). I am retyping Hroar’s synopsis of the documentation.

Name: Hroar is a direct correlation to “The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki” and Beowolf (figure 1: front cover of text). The King of the Danes was known as Hrothgar , or Hroar for short. Njalsson is directly taken from Njal’s Saga, an Icelandic 13th century tale, available online at http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Njal/.

Device: This is a new submission for the device since the first one conflicted. It is a simplification of the previously submitted arms.

1. Balusters are appropriate charges based on the four following references:

a. Shield Devices of the Greeks in Art and Literature of the Age by G.H. Chase (ISBN: 0-89005-260-3), describes how common household items were commonly used for device charges. There is extensive correlation to the art work depicted on the Attic Black figure and the Attic Red Figure pottery of the age. Figure 3 shows the reference of the warrior with a shield device of a water pitcher. This sketch was taken from an amphora referenced again in the work by Jahn, Beschreiburg d. Vasensammlung König Ludwigs in d. Pinakothek zu München. Munich, 1854

b. Gerald J. Brault wrote Early Blazon: Heraldic Terminology in the 12th and 13th Century with Special Reference to Arthurian Literature (Oxford @ Clarendon Press, 1972, pp. 98, 259, 271). This text includes many drawings of devices, as well as a glossary of terms in the French and Anglo-Norman Rolls of Arms. This glossary lists “pichier” or pitcher, and gives in in context of a blazon, noted as “de goules furent trois pichier” (figure 4). This is further traced by the author to the original manuscript The Seige of Caerlaverock, in the XXVIII Edward I, A.D. MCCC (London, British Museum, Cotton Caligula A. XVIII fols. 23b-30b). This is a Roll of Arms of the Princess, Barons, and Knights who attended King Edward I to the siege of Caerlaverock in 1300.

c. Julian Franklin authored Shield and Crest; An Account of the Art and Science of Heraldry (London, MacGibbon & Kee, 1960). This expansive resource lists pottery of many sorts used as charges. Pitchers, jugs, beakers, water-pots, flagons. Salt-cellars were also used, often blazoned “sprinkling salt” (Figure 5) (p. 216). There is mention of a flower pot, as it is blazoned, “Azure, a lily-pot argent” (Figure 6), for the Royal borough of Dundee (p. 432). Standishes, or serving vessals are also mentioned (Figure 7) (p. 436, fig.216). With all these common household items, it can be safely measured that balusters were appropriate charges.

d. Papworth’s Ordinary of British Armorials, (Ed. A. R. Wagner, London, Tabard Publications Ltd., 1961) a reproduction of the original edition of 1874, includes a different method of organizing devices, listing them by charges. There are several found that correlate the pitcher or baluster (Figure 8) (p 1032) and many more that are listed under cup, yet are named by other names such as pot, laver pot or vase, drinking pots, ewers, flagons, covered pots, and standing cups (Figure 9) (pp 676-677).

(click to view in color)
The name is meant to belong to a Provencial who fled to England and married an Englishman in the late 16th century. Lisette is found in “Late Period Feminine Names from the South of France” by Talan Gwynek (Brian M. Scott). For this portion of her name the client cares most about period and place. dela Lavanda is meant to indicate an occupation of gathering and/or selling lavender. Because of the location the client assumes that the earlier Italian form would be used rather than the later French form. Source: Le Grand Robert de la Langue Française (unable to read page number on copy) under the entry Lavande and dated 1383. For this name she would very much like to retain the meaning, but if no version of “Lavender” is deemed suitable will reluctantly accept “lavendier” ie “washerwoman”. Shelby is a constructed English place name with elements drawn from Oxford English Dictionary of Place Names. “shel” on p 415 and “by” on p 408. The client cares most about sound on this element of her name.

Njalsson is directly taken from Njal’s Saga, an Icelandic 13th century tale, available online at http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Njal/
For documentation of “baluster” as a charge see item #7. The motto, “Sporcus labor sed alicui faciendus est” is translated as “it’s dirty work but it must be done by someone”. Translation done by Meg Miller of Caid who further adds, “If anyone cares, LABOR is masculine so the future passive participle in the passive periphrastic has to be masculine too, and ALICUI is dative of agent with the passive periphrastic. There’s only one EST because a Latin speaker wouldn’t have said EST twice in one statement.”

12) Nonna the Midwife (F) Name and Device resubmission. Per bend sinister vert and azure, in bend sinister throughout a trident argent between two golden carp proper embowed in annulo.

Text of Nonna’s synopsis of documentation:
Device: Koi are for all intents and purposes carp, so let’s blazon and register them as carp. [her original submission listed them as koi proper]. .J. Franklyn’s Shield and Crest, mentions carp (p 120, fig. 195) as being often omitted from heraldry books, only due to its under-use, although it is made mention of in one of the earliest essays on heraldry. It is, however mentioned in India, where it is a sacred animal and used in heraldry more frequently.

Notices of the Principle Families Bearing Fish in their Arms (London, J.Van Voorst,1842, pp 77,110,174,187). Due to the age of this book, limited photocopies and handling of this text were permitted through Miami University’s Special Collections Series. This mentions the “golden carp” that were introduced to Western Europe in 1611, the first of the species was presented to Madame Pompadour of France. As the SCA originally covered through 1650, this time frame is allowed. This could further support the use of the spotted color of just orange and white (p 77) (Figure 11) to be blazoned as “proper”.

There is also discussion about the sole, turbot, brill or brett, the plaice, and the flounder. While no mention is made of the heraldic posture of the fish, we are technically viewing a tergiant posture, as it is the dorsal view of the fish as opposed to the lateral view, which would cause all of these fish to be a basic sliver or line due to their flat nature (pp187-193). Carp are freshwater fish, and while most of the fishes are positioned in a side view , perhaps this is only due to the limited viewing of saltwater fish in habitat. Freshwater fish, highly revered in status in Eastern continents—especially koi- were kept in shallow ponds for their display. This view is perhaps more natural, as the view would be down through the water.

Dorsal views of other sea creatures support the modest variations of postures for such rare charges. Lobsters, crabs, and clams all share the sea as their home, and the heraldic title of fish, however, a lateral view of these creatures would also render them cumbersome. As a result, we see most of them displayed tergiant without it being noted in the blazon.

13) Phineas Quinn (M) New Name and Device. Azure, semy of estoiles argent.

Phineas: Withycombe p 114 lists it in use in the 16th and 17th centuries. Quinn: Reany & Wilson p. 368 lists “Quinn” with various spellings to the 13th, 14th, & 15th centuries and in a second entry to the 15th and 16th centurie under “Quine” The client wishes to use the modern English spelling of Quinn. He will NOT allow MAJOR changes .

15) Sabine du Coeurgris (F) New Name and Device. Gules, a bean plant argent between four pheons Or.

(Dernehealde)

(click to view in color)
Sabine is listed in “ Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English Surnames” by Talan Gwynek under the heading “Sabina”.
Coeurgris was constructed of the elements Coeur and Gris (noun+adj), similar to "Coeurjoly”. Coeur and Coeurjoly are in Dauzat’s Nom et Prenom p. 139 under the heading “Coeur”. Gris exists as a separate entry in Nom et Prenom (p. 308) as does Joly (as var. under Joli, on p. 345). She would like in order of preference, “du” “de” “le” or nothing before “Coeurgris” but is uncertain which form would be best.

The client has included a photocopy of a stylized bean plant taken from a facsimile reprint (with translation) of the 14th century manuscript Tacuinum Sanitatis in Medicina which she used as the model for the central charge on her device.

16) Thomas de Keth (M) New Name and Device. Per bend, argent and azure, an elephant statant facing sinister Or, atop its back a tower sable.

Thomas found in Surnames of Scotland , by Black, p. 768; s.n. Thomas
Cites Thomas filius Maldoueny mid 13th century.
De Keth also found in Surnames of Scotland p388 s.n. Keith; cites Malcolm de Keth dated 1185. If the name must be changed, the client has a speech problem and must be able to pronounce the name.